


With a little help from your friends...

by MorganeUK



Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst, BAMF Sherlock, Fix-It of Sorts, Fragile Sherlock, Gen, I'm Bad At Tagging, Mycroft Being a Good Brother, Not Beta Read, Paternal Lestrade, Season/Series 04, should be cannon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-02
Updated: 2017-09-02
Packaged: 2018-11-13 06:33:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11179059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MorganeUK/pseuds/MorganeUK
Summary: I always thought that John was getting it to easy after he hits Sherlock in the morgue...After the end of S4E3 but right before the fluffy bits in the epilogue.* I've decided to write a second chapter finally! Used to be "Remember who you're dealing with" alone. Enjoy :-) *





	1. Remember who you're dealing with

**Author's Note:**

  * For [warmpineneedles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/warmpineneedles/gifts).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sherlock have one last thing to do before his life can go on...

A black car stop in front of John house while he was giving her diner to Rosie. "What the hell is happening again?" Sherlock get out of the car with a strong pace. _He's looking better now_ , John thought, _more like himself. It's good that he have his confidence back_. Molly told him that he was seeing a therapist. _Good for him!_

Sherlock was trying to keep his emotion on check. Last time he was at this place... The letter John gived him, asking Molly to push him away on his behalf. Breath-in, breath-out. _The breathing exercises are doing bloody nothing!_

The door open with a smiling John and a grinning Rosie that what rising a spoon like a rattle. _Rosie... Shit_.  _I didn't think about her! Why can't she be at the nursery or what-ever?_

"Hi Sherlock! Happy to see you, it's been long mate.  How do you like the renovation at the flat, have you found everything you need? Come in! Is Mycroft in the car?"

Sherlock was still outside the threshold. John was startled by his friend unemotional gaze. _He's looking at me only!_   John though realizing that the detective was avoiding Rosie attempts to get his attention. "Is everything all right?" He walks inside motioning again to his friend to join him inside.

"I'm here for one and only reason John. I have something to say and I want you to be attentive as I won't say it again."

"Ok... but won't you come in?"

"No. I'm not coming in your house." His feet remaining firmly on the porch. "We've been through a lot recently. I have done things that I'm not proud of, if I must be honest, but..."

"Me too, I'm..." But Sherlock interrupt John by rising his hand before he can utter one more word.

"I'm the one who's talking now. _Please_. I just need to tell you..." He pause to be certain to get John's attention. "Don't. You. Ever. Put. Your. Hand. On. Me. Again." Sherlock voice was clad with iron but unable to totally mask the disgust the words where causing him.

"Sherlock... I'm so sorry. I wasn't myself..." Shame took over all other emotions in John.

"Because next time I won't stay put like a bloody target. Remember who you're dealing with. Understand?"

"Yes... of course... Sherlock, I would never... I was so angry and..." _Oh God, that day... It's going to haunt me forever..._

"I don't care. Find a better way to deal with anger or I will have to intervene for Rosie's sake."

"What? I would never hurt my daughter!"

"And she's my goddaughter. Find professional help.  Farewell John."

And he went back to the car, his composure falling apart as soon as the door closes.

"It's over, brother mine. You've been brave."

"Yes, it's over" Sherlock replies as tears drop despite his hard as steel eyes. "It's over for me. The ball is now on John court..." And the black sedan left the curb in direction of Baker Street.

 


	2. It is what it is... What ever that's mean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John after Sherlock left...
> 
> Not beta-ed. Sorry for all the silly mistakes.

John remains on his doorstep, an agitated Rosie in his arms.  
  
The one sided conversation he just had with Sherlock replaying again and again in his mind. _Hurting my baby girl, who does he thinks I am! I am not a bloody psychopath!_ “How dare he… The bastard!” He says loudly. His daughter, startled, starts crying with vigor.  
  
Feeling instantly ashamed, a well-known feeling nowadays, he closes the door and went inside trying to calm the baby. “I’m sorry Rosie… I will never hurt you… You know… Don’t cry, I love you so so much.” The little girl becomes calmer instantly, looking at her father with her big eyes. The trust he saw in the eyes, the attention that she seems to put in every word he said was too much… And for the first time since that time in Sherlock flat, he cried. Not trusting himself around Rosie, afraid he may drop her, he put the child away in her bed with a bottle.  
  
Once back on the first floor and totally alone, John snaps. Sitting on the first step of the stair he puts his head in his hands he finally cries. Images of the last months maculating his head... Everything since Mary died. _I can't go further than that, the last year... it's already too much... I am just a regular man, how can I deal with all that. It's too much. The events were passing one by one in his mind..._  Mary relentlessly pursuit by her ex-colleague, Norbury wanting to kill Sherlock but Mary that decided to spring in front of the bullet, probably wanting to thank him for saving her so many times. _That’s was foolish!_ He nearly hates her for that. For not wanting to stay with them… For putting Sherlock’s life on higher ground.  
  
_“You need him more than me…”_ Mary’s voice, gone for so long, says in his head.  
  
“No, don’t say that…” But he knows that’s the truth. He knows that if it wasn’t for Sherlock insistance that he talked to Mary, he’ll probably have divorced her after she shoots the detective, after he discovers her past and the lies. _But if I need him, if I am his friend how come I was mad enough to beat him like that… I nearly killed him._ He closes his eyes, not wanting to know if Mary was in the room. Her voice was already too much… The conversation he adds with Sherlock, just before they left for cake with Molly, before Eurus craziness, pop up in his mind. The talk about Mary, about him saying to Sherlock that he knows it’s not his fault… _But did I ever actually apologizes for what happened in the morgue. Never. Sherlock knows, for sure, no? It was nearly back to normal when the drugs finally left the hold that it has on him... I even bring Rosie at Baker Street. But with that crazy stuff with Eurus and Moriarty… We never talked about this again, but he knows right?_

The memory of Sherlock subdues attitude when he was particularly angry and ranting about something or another, the way how he stops arguing every bloody time John is not on part with him. _Can't he be... afraid? Afraid of losing my friendship if he's himself? Afraid that I... Oh My God... He knows that I'm feeling so sorry that I can even say it. How do you ask forgiveness for something like that?_  

  
The doorbell rings and brings back John to reality. _Sherlock!_ He ran to the door, but it wasn't his friend. It was an uneasy Greg.

"Hi." John, still with tears in his eyes, didn't know what else to say. _What the hell is he doing here, among all day_?

"Sorry to disturb you like that." He looks even more uneasy. "But I've got something that... someone..." At John questioning gaze, he adds with a loopside smirk, "Mycroft Holmes asked me to give to you." He gives John an envelope.

The doctor mechanically opens it, it was a list of psychologist that worked with NSY in the past. John looks at Greg with anger first. H _ow dare Mycroft Holmes uses Greg as a bloody messenger! How dare Greg intervenes in something that it's not his fucking business!_ But he calms quickly... Sighing profoundly, he closes his eyes. _He's a friend, calm yourself. Think about Rosie's when she laughs, about a nice cup of tea..._

Seeing that John had his anger on check, the DI continues softly, "These are all professionals that are used to deal with policemen and... soldiers. All the crap that they... we... are living with on a daily basis. On the job and on a more personal level." After a pause, he mutters "I've been on few sessions my self... The things we go thru sometimes. When it's children that... And when I divorced... and after Sherlock... I was feeling so guilty, still do sometimes." He shakes his head, clearing his thoughts. "Anyway. You've got the list, do as you wish." He left to get back to his car, but turns one last time to look at John. "But... You're a good man John Watson. And I would love to have you back to your old self." Then he walks towards the street.

"Greg!" John says loudly before he changes his mind. The detective turns again to look at the man he still considered a friend, "Why... why did you never put charges against me... that time. You add everything, I will have let you do it you know. I was deserving anything the law, or Mycroft would have throw at me."

"Why? Not because you're my friend, not because Mycroft asked me to - Because if it was of Mycroft Holmes you'll be in Siberia right now! - why didn't I put charges against you? It because I know that you're better than this. That it wasn't the real you... and that I know that Sherlock and you are better together than alone. It is what it is... What ever that's mean." He smiled one last time and leaves.  
  
John closes the door for the second time that day, but now with a slight hope in his heart.

Taking his phone, he calls the first name on Greg's list.

**Author's Note:**

> I've put this discussion at the end of s4.3, after Eurus and Sherringford.
> 
> When Sherlock finally had the time to digest everything and seeks help for his PTSD, his toxic relation with John and everything else... 
> 
> So, between the reconstruction of the flat and the playing around with Rosie and going back together to solve cases at the end of the episode, Sherlock grows back his backbone and John seeks help near an anger-management specialist.
> 
> The inspiration come from a small discussion after reading [Days on end](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11126682) by warmpineneedles.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [A secret battle](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11878746) by [MorganeUK](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MorganeUK/pseuds/MorganeUK)
  * [A secret message](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14360415) by [MorganeUK](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MorganeUK/pseuds/MorganeUK)




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